Gmail on Android is Getting “Block Sender” and “Unsubscribe” Options

Google is pushing an update to Gmail on Android today that introduces two new features, “Block Sender” and “Unsubscribe.” The features function exactly like they sound, in that they let you quickly block specific email addresses from within an email or unsubscribe from mailing lists without leaving the Gmail app.

As you can see in the two GIFs below, the “Block Sender” option appears in the action overflow menu inside of an email where you would typically find the “forward” or “reply all” options. As for “Unsubscribe,” that lies within the action overflow menu at the top right corner of Gmail, when looking at an individual email, next to the Archive and Delete buttons.

When you block someone, their emails will then head directly into your spam folder going forward. When unsubscribing, you are simply unsubscribing.

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What’s the difference between blocking and marking as spam if it all just goes to the spam folder?

arthuruscg

add the blocking to the dialer and hangouts. Verizon’s spam filter is crap.

SB

A contact named Blocked is where I store all the numbers I want blocked.

Jprime

I love how they still use the Nexus 5 for these promos

Bret Smith

already got it, its great

they call me Rob

I already have the Block function but I don’t see Unsubscribe on any of my emails – anyone else? Both of these will be super helpful.

Adam

As far as I understand it only works with certain email systems which support Gmail’s auto-unsubscribe script.

Jprime

How about showing different avatars for multiple accounts of email in the gmail app? Just saying….

Ryan

What do you mean, it’s so easy for me to navigate these and know at a glance that yellow means inbox 1 or inbox 2 or inbox 3 when looking at a glance. Then when I look at all inboxes yellow means inbox 1, yellow means inbox 2, red means inbox 3 and blue means inbox 4. Wait why didn’t I have 4 options above…?

Jprime

how are two yellows useful?

Ryan

I should have added /s to my previous comment. Not only are there not the same accounts shown on each screen but the colors change depending on which screen you’re looking at and is definitely an awful design.

Jprime

Ahh i see, lol

Tyler Durden

Finally

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

Unsubscribe! Perfect! But I wonder how it works? For some sites when you click the unsub link, it takes you to a page with options about what exactly you want to unsub from

antinorm

And for some other (unscrupulous) places, “unsubscribing” just confirms to them that your email address is active. Hello, more spam.

SION1771

An e-mail that doesn’t bounce also confirms to them that your e-mail address is active.

Adam

Most of those places probably are blocked by Gmail’s spam filter by default as well so you’d probably never see the message in the first place.

DanSan

some websites you even have to log into your account to change the settings.. curious how this will get around those sites.

michael arazan

Or when you Unsub, it doesn’t work and still get emails. That annoys me the most, that and every single donation email. They pass around the list to other people so you get 50.

MoonBear

Wish they would add this to Inbox.

James

Wish they would add a lot of things to Inbox.

Or rather, I wish they would just add the reminder/snooze feature to Gmail, since that’s about the only thing I really miss after switching back.

Dan Maldonado

Reminders are so useful! I don’t know why Gmail doesn’t have it. I have to add it through the Google App and it doesn’t add it to my calendar, so frustrating.

James

I agree. I’m a huge fan of the Reminders functionality, but I hate how it’s spread out between the Google App, Google Keep, and Inbox. The syncing has improved, but it’s still a confusing mess and doesn’t include key services like Calendar (unlike the old Google Tasks function, which is still sort of around).

Dan Maldonado

Definitely. For a while I tried using the Reminders widget button to add to my reminders (and then remind me) but it only went to Inbox, which i had disabled.